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What Video Editing System Do You Prefer?

What Video Editing System Do You Prefer?

  • Final Cut Pro 3.0

    Votes: 16 80.0%

  • Avid Xpress 3.5

    Votes: 3 15.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 5.0%
  • Total voters
    20
kiwi_the_iwik

kiwi_the_iwik

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 30, 2001
1,110
1
London, UK
There's a wee debate we have going at our work - namely, which one is better:

* Final Cut Pro 3.0, or
* Avid Xpress DV 3.5

I took the plunge and got FCP3.0 (along with a few news editors, who did the same), although there are a few at work who would rather get Avid Xpress DV 3.5 because it's so close to the Avid Newscutter system implemented here at the moment, and therefore familiarising with Avid won't be as slow...

I've put a third category in the poll for "other", in case there's another editing program that you've fallen for (although Premier 6 may not be it...!). Just let me know which one in the poll, and leave a note on the thread as to why it's better...

Cheers, folks!

;)
 
I'm no video editor but I would rather use final cut pro 3 cause its apple :D
 
...I'd also like to point out that Avid Xpress DV 3.5 is available for Apple.

Just because it's Apple, doesn't mean it's fantastic (point-in-case, iChat...)

Hmmm... :D
 
I'd go with Final Cut Pro........ or Media 100...... both are very very good.........
 
I would go with FCP3 but that is because it is the only remotely profrofessional piece of video editing (no iMovie is not professional, not yet :)) I have ever used.

Ensign
 
I've played on an Avid but I use FCP because it was much cheaper for me to get FCP, and for what I do it does more than enough and has been relatively easy to use.

And for now I don't think I'll be switching any time soon - unless I get a job that requires me to do something that I could only do on the Avid.

D
 
Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
(point-in-case, iChat...)
Click to expand...

what's wrong with iChat? I've never used it, but it seems pretty cool.

BTW, anything branded Avid is built on ancient architecture, and over priced in a major way....wait a minute...kinda sounds like Apple. :eek:
 
I'm using Premier and After Effects. I've never tired Avid or FCP, but I would like to. Premier is simple to use and I tend to like Adobe products. I'm not a professional, so I will probably never use FCP. How about Premier 6.5. I heard it has support for OSX.
 
You really can't go wrong w/Avid for editing, but when budgeting comes up FCP is almost a shoe in since there a very few situations where Avid Express is cleary superior to FCP. FCP's weakest area, IMO, is media management (at least when compared to Avid). But unless Avid gets innovative FCP is gonna surpass king Avid in the next couple of years.

Lethal
 
I used Premiere on an independent movie project called The Red Box, which won a plaque for Honorable Mention at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival (one out of a select five hundred contestants).

Winner of the "full monte," my good friend and collaborator, used the same thing -- Adobe Premiere 6.0 on a Gateway 700XL. We had three HDs; 120 (Western Digital), 45, and a 40. When you're uploading that much stuff from a Sony 2000 IIICCD, you need it.
 
If it wasn't for FCP, avid dv wouldn't exist. Avid were happy to keep prices high, as well as keep users on an expensive upgrade path. FCP has changed NLE forever. Avid dv has more features than FCP, but FCP is scaleable from dv to uncompressed. avid dv is dv only. i only use FCP now.
 
i use fcp. used avid at school, but it didn't convince me it was better...

can someone who's used both compare the features of them please?

i recently was asked and i couldn't answer so i was wondering if someone could inform me.. thanks
 
slightly off topic, but related

Can someone help. I'm trying to get some dv into QuickTime format. I've tried different compression, but the quality still blows. It is a video of me wakeboarding and I want ot post it on a website. The odd thing is I was able to get my buddies video up and it looks great. I tried the same compression with mine and it looks like as$. It's from the same dv tape. Premier uses a scaled down version of cleaner. Any suggestions wold be great... Maybe email them to me privatley.
 
re:pgwalsh's question

Try FCP which has an "export to Quicktime" function.

Failing that, try Media Cleaner 5, which may do it for you...

- as will iMovie2!


By the way, jello -

If you click on the link I left a few posts back, it'll give you a quick indication of what you can do with Avid. Personally, I like the idea of having a workspace that you can adapt, and then your preferences can be transferred to other avid editing systems - so you need not wade needlessly through unnecessary setup procedures when you log in...

That's only because our work system is an Avid Newscutter - so it makes sense for me to look into Xpress.

The biggest drawback is the price - the advanced package being nearly 3 times as expensive as FCP3. On the surface, however, they do pretty much the same thing...
 
Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
i use fcp. used avid at school, but it didn't convince me it was better...

can someone who's used both compare the features of them please?

i recently was asked and i couldn't answer so i was wondering if someone could inform me.. thanks
Click to expand...


IMO, the biggest edge Avid Express has over FCP is superior media management and better compatibility w/other Avids and Avid friendly hardware/software. I know FCP 3 can expot an Avid EDL, but it has issues w/importing an Avid EDL (which is a shame).

Also the ability to float GUI and KB prefs from one Avid to another is very nice, especially if you have to play "musical Avids."

But considering these are relatively minor issues, and the fact that FCP is 'bout $700 dollas cheaper, FCP 3 will come out the winner 9/10 IMO.


Lethal
 
I use FCp and i think that many more people are going to switch for a couple of reasons. The main among these is OfflineRT. This compression standard makes it possible to do rough cutting and a good deal of transitions effect work in very little space. It also lets you do more in realtime on slower, odr Macs. The Avid EDL export works well, and the import isn't half bad, hopefully better with the nest upadate.

I love Avid stuff, and I've used it extensively. I cut my Teeth on Media 100. Still, With the added conditions of OfflineRT and realtime effects sans hardware, plus about half the price when all is said and done, FCP is by far the better choice. You an then spend that 700$ or so on more disk space, a crapload of RAM, about three 13 NTSC monitors, or even a little Prosumer backup camera (I just bought an Elura and I freaking love it).

Avid had to make DV Xpress to contend with FCP, but I think they are a little behind the curve, and will remain there.
 
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